Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society Ltd., which is known for publishing a series of original science fiction works including “The Three-Body Problem,” has made headlines recently as its Deputy Chief Editor, Yao Haijun, has been under investigation. Yao Haijun, who advocated for human rights, public welfare, and constitutional principles, took over full responsibility at the magazine since August, and rumors about him being out of contact had been circulating within the science fiction community since September.
On October 23, the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Communist Party of Sichuan Province announced that Yao Haijun, a director and Deputy Chief Editor of Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society Ltd., is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. Currently, the discipline inspection team stationed at the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province is conducting a disciplinary review on him, under the jurisdiction of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Luzhou City.
According to Jiemian News, news of Yao Haijun being out of contact had been circulating within the science fiction community for over a month, with his personal Weibo account not having been updated since September 10. Prior to that, well-known figures in the science fiction community disclosed that they were unable to reach Yao Haijun through his Weibo and WeChat accounts.
On September 28, the 35th China Science Fiction Galaxy Awards ceremony was held in Chengdu, followed by the Tianwen Chinese Science Fiction Literature Grand Prix events on October 18th and 19th. Yao Haijun was notably absent from both of these significant events within the Chinese science fiction community.
It was reported earlier on August 19 that Yao Haijun had taken full charge of the editorial work of Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society, leading the editorial board in their activities.
Born in May 1966 in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, Yao Haijun began his career in November 1988. He established the magazine “Xingyun” while working at Yimin Forest Farm in Yichun, which mainly focused on science fiction reviews and updates, gaining considerable attention.
In 1997, he was invited by Ma Junying, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Shanxi “Science Fiction King” magazine, to join as an editor. A year later, he joined the Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society under the Sichuan Association for Science and Technology.
Yao Haijun was promoted to Deputy Chief Editor of “Science Fiction World” magazine in June 2005 and became a director and Deputy Chief Editor of Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society Ltd. in December 2018 until the recent investigation.
Yao Haijun is also the founder of the Nebula Award for Chinese Science Fiction, edited the “World Science Fiction Master Series,” and introduced over two hundred science fiction classics.
He served as the full-time chairman of the 2023 World Science Fiction Conference, President of the Chengdu Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the publication of original science fiction works such as “Tianyi,” “Escape from the Mother Universe,” “Tiannian,” and “The Three-Body Problem.”
The “Three-Body Problem” trilogy has been published in 19 languages, with sales exceeding 21 million copies, and has been adapted into a TV series overseas.
On March 21 this year, Netflix officially released the American adaptation series of the Chinese science fiction novel “The Three-Body Problem,” where the first episode includes a shocking scene from the “Cultural Revolution” era of university campus struggle sessions. Although not available in China on Netflix, there were reports that the Chinese authorities ordered a nationwide ban on the American version of “The Three-Body Problem” due to its depiction of the Cultural Revolution struggles.
Established in 1979, Sichuan Science Fiction World Magazine Society Ltd. was a transformation from the original Science Fiction World magazine entity. By the end of 2018, it had officially converted from a business unit to a state-owned enterprise, specializing in editing, publishing, and distributing magazines such as “Science Fiction World,” “Science Fiction World Illustrations,” “Asia-Pacific Education,” “Fly,” “Business,” and “Sichuan Technology News.”
The news of Yao Haijun’s investigation has sparked attention on social media. A headline article author and popular Weibo user, “Cui Zijian,” uploaded screenshots of Yao Haijun’s past Weibo posts, remarking, “When a Deputy Chief Editor of a science fiction magazine fails to scrutinize science fiction novels, but instead hangs everything on democracy and the rule of law, it’s basically indicating something. There’s no love without a reason, no hatred without a reason. Why is he dissatisfied? There must be a reason.”
Screenshots revealed Yao Haijun’s comments on Weibo in April 2016 and 2018, expressing his views on stability, Chinese dreams, human rights, democracy, and constitutional aspirations.